The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-08-10

either the editors or the solons.
The Law which sternly demands a life
for life is the terror of evil men. A
public execution does more to awe and
humble than any other sight you can
name.
4 X
Five hundred of US have been standing
at the foot of the gallows for an hour.
There has been no jostling or pushing
no cursipg or jesting. The rope dang
ling from the cross beam of the gallows
which condemned murderer is about to
mount drives curses from the mouth and
jest from the heart.
First comes the sheriff. He is followed
by the condemned and q minister of the
gospel. Behind them are two friends
who are to stand on the scaffold to the
last. The death warrant has been read
to the man in his cell, and bis arms are
tied behind him.
God says: "Thou shalt not kill"
The Bible says: "No murderer can in
'herit the kingdom of heaven" The law
of the land names murder as the highest
crime on earth.
Then why the clergyman with his
prayers and hymns? 1t is the basest
hypocrisy to lead the murderer to hope
to throw over his horrible crime and ter
rible death the mantel of religion.
Up-up-up! 1t is high platform
eight steps TO reach the trap.
There are three hundred thugs. thieves
and loafers in the crowd. Watch them !
Show me one single face which has not
paled since the man was led out. Do
you hear jest-a rough word? Not
one! These men are as dumb as stones.
Yesterday had any of them disputed
over a cigar the knife or pistol would
have been used. To morrow-next
week-for a whole year hence, the sight
of this gallows will rise up 10 restrain
their murderous hands.
The condemned advances to the front
of the platform to speak few words.
No need to whisper. "Hush !" You
never saw 500 people SO quiet. I can
hear watches tick and hearts beat.
"My friends, am on the brink of the
grave. I ask you to shun the path
which brought me here. Let whisky
alone. Let cards alone. Shun all bad
people"
Print that speech and men may sneer
at it. Listen to the words as they fall
from the lips of man that has less than
ten minutes to live, and the case is diff
ferent.
They bite. They burn. They sink
into the heart to remain forever. There
is the dangling moose back of them
There is the hangman to the left-the
sheriff to the right. Let no man tell
you that any word of that speech has
beer lost on the crowd-that they won't
stand out in letters of fire when men are
tempted to shed blood.
And now they sing. What horrible
discord! What terrible mockery Ifone
who has deliberately chopped innocent
children to death with an ak and then
brutally assaulted the mother can reach
heaven then our religion is wrong and
worthless. If he can't then why this
awful mockery of singing and praying
and beseeching him to look TO God.
\ = x r..
Very soon now The sheriff is tying
his ankles, and the condemned is taking
his last view Of earth. His eyes take in
the green trees at the left-the beautiful
hills to the front-the meadows and
orchards to the right, five hundred pale
faces are upturned to his, but be sees
them not.
Look over the crowd! Did you ever
see thieves and thugs SO awed and hum.
bled? They have long known that the Law
punished murder. They have read and
heard of executions. The law was sort
of theory; the executions they read were
in distant place. Here, it is brought
home to them as it could be in no other
way. Here is the majesty of the law
exempli6ed.
Now the sheriff adjusts the moose. Did
you feel that shudder go through the
crowd? 1t was like ripple over the
bosom of a placid lake, and two score of
faces are turned away from the scaffold.
Not one whisper in all this great crowd
If hanging does not lessen the crime of
murder, why aren't these villains and
scoundrels jestiDg?
Now there is prayer. More mockery!
More hypocrisy! Praying to God to
pardon one who has sinned against the
laws of Heaven and earth Praying 10
God to receive him as he received bis
childish victims Half a thousand men
will go out of this inclosure ecofiDg at
the religion which can do this thing, but
they will tremble before the law which
they have seen vindicated.
"Now the black capw That man has
looked his last on earth. His heart
beats are numbered. Does any one ask if
be is "dying gamer" Never one! If
be walled and wept they would not re